Meteora, Greece: Communing with the Gods

Gosh!!! That’s stunning! Those were the words I uttered when I first saw Meteora in a travel broucher many years ago. Mentally, I added Meteora to my bucket list and it stayed there ever since – until two weeks ago, when I finally managed to cross it out.

To be standing facing the monasteries, it felt unreal. The vertical stone columns stood majestically in the valley and as if that’s not impressive enough, precariously perched on top are monasteries with beige walls and terracotta roof tiles. The monasteries blend beautifully with the surroundings that at a glance, they look as if they were craved from the stones.

If you’re into myths and legends, the story goes that the rocks were dropped from heaven. The geologists however would argue that land movement, water and wind over millions of years made the stones into what they are today.

Meteora means “suspended in air” in Greek. Just look at the pictures, you’d definitely get it. It’s a place unlike any others. The Byzantine monks started living at Meteora in the 11^th century in an attempt to be closer to God. Initially they lived as hermits and only started to built the monasteries in the 14^th century.

A question everyone asks is “How in the world were the monasteries built?” The answer is, by human hands.

Can you imagine construction of these monasteries carried out without any cranes and modern equipments? How in the freaking hell did those monks get up those rocks? And hoisting building material along with them? Crazy!

At its peak, it was said there were 24 monasteries. Today, only 6 have survived.

Nowadays, you can mostly drive to the monasteries. Roads weren’t built until the 70s. At that time the place was pretty much unknown to the outside world. That soon changed thanks to Britain’s most famous Secret Service agent, 007.

Thursday, October 20

I was traveling with Chat Tours and the previous day, we visited Delphi. After visiting the archaeological site, we proceeded to Kalampaka where we stayed the night at Amelia Hotel.

It took only a few minutes by bus from Kalampaka to Meteora. We had an early start. All of us were on the bus by 08:15 ready to go. My heart sank when I saw dark clouds rolling in and I expected a storm but it only drizzled for a short period that day. The weather gods had some mercy on us.

The tour only took us to two monasteries. That day, the picks were Varlaam and St Stephen Monastery.

Varlaam

The Holy Monastery of Varlaam is the second largest monastery in Meteora, second only to the Great Meteoron. Built in the mid 14^th century, the monastery was named after the founder, monk Varlaam who lived as a hermit initially. He built three churches but after his death, the place was neglected for 200 years until 2 priest-monks brothers from Ioanina found the place, restored and expanded the complex into the size it is today. It took them 22 years to carry the building materials up the cliff. Once all the materials had been hoisted up, it only took 20 days for the construction to complete!

This is one of the monasteries where you can visit the tower to see the pulley system – used by the monks in those days to ascend and descend from the rock.

The monks had so much faith in God that the ropes were used until “God’s will to have it replaced”. Such total faith in the Almighty!!! They couldn’t have had any health and safety officers in those days. If not, he’d go berserk!

When we were there, construction was ongoing.

But they’ve modernised and carried up the building material using this.

The Holy Monastery of St. Stephen

This monastery is actually a nunnery and compared to the others, is more accessible as one doesn’t need to climb hundreds of steps to get there.

The monastery was founded in the 1400s by St. Antoninus. It suffered dearly in the 20^th century where it was bombed during the WWII and suffered further during the Civil War. It was abandoned until 1961 when it became a nunnery.

At their little shop, you can buy souvenirs and handicrafts by the nuns. The profit from the sales go to helping the community in nearby towns who are in need.

This is the view of Kalambaka from St. Stephen monastery.

Other monasteries in Meteora

Things to know before visiting the monasteries:

• How to get there

I took the easy route and signed up with Viator. If you prefer to go on your own, you can drive there or take the train to Kalampaka and then a taxi to the monasteries. If I get the chance to go to Meteora again, I’d definitely do it on my own so that I can set my own pace and get the chance to visit the monasteries I missed.

• Is there entrance fee?

There is a €3 admission fee for each monasteries. Price may change in the future!

• Dress code

You’re visiting a religious site so dress respectfully. Men will need to wear pants that cover the knees. Women need to wear long skirts. If you arrive inappropriately dressed, you will be given a makeshift skirt/sarong to wear.

• Opening hours

Opening hours vary so please check their website.